As if we needed one more thread on "is this caliber enough?"

5

5whiskey

New member
Well, that's not what this thread is for. This thread is for me to personally come out and express my vote of no confidence in the .32 S&W long. Don't get me wrong folks, I've been of the mindset to "own what you will carry, even if it's only a .22" for the past 5 years. I think the caliber debate is pretty retarded when the caliber is greater than .38... and I personally wouldn't be afraid to trust .380 or even .32 H&R Mags. I'm pretty open minded, and lazy. I'll take the mouse gun that I will carry over the PITA to conceal hand cannon in the safe.

Long story short, my old man bought a H&R 733 revolver back in the 70s. It's now mine. The best I have for CCW is a compact baby eagle. Not too bad to conceal with winter clothes, but not all that easy in shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops. I take the little revolver to do a crude ballistic test and I'm not impressed. I have a dressed 2x4 and 4x4 treated pine lumber. The .32 long will go through the 2x4, but the slug is barely embedded in the 4x4 behind it. I mean I could pick it out with my hand. A 9mm, which is 40 grains heavier and causes a bigger hole, goes through both boards but doesn't have much left. I do not trust this forgotten little caliber. I think it'll just be my coon hunting beat around pistol.

Anyway, I thought I'd share that. Oh, and the .32 long only has about 130 ft-lbs of energy. That's pretty scary there as well. Mouse guns are better than no guns, and I personally wouldn't volunteer to be shot with a .32, but I think I'll save up for a kel-tec P11. Personal observation... good day.
 
I shoot a Walther GSP in .32 S&W Long in Bullseye competition. I can honestly say that no B-2 or B-3 paper target has every gotten up and walked away after having me put a few 98 gr wadcutters through its boiler room.
 
About average performance

The .32s are pretty weak performers by modern standards. Of course, by the standards of the past, they were pretty weak too! But it didn't matter as much then.

People of today might ask, "why?" and "well, if they were't all that good then, why were they so popular back then?" and the answer is simple.

Medicine has gotten better. And so has nutrition. So, on average, we are bigger and stronger than we were 100 years ago. Ands that includes the bad guys too.

Even as "little" as 80 years ago, the percentage of people who died as a result of getting shot was much higher than it is today. And I'm talking about people who got wounded, not shot and killed immediately. Infection was the big killer. Getting shot was often a death sentence, eventually. Or would often result in the loss of a limb, to stop the spread of infection, which sometimes worked, and sometimes didn't. Consequently, people (even the bad guys) would go to great lengths to avoid getting shot.

Nobody wants to get shot, but today, if you aren't killed outright, you have a better chance than ever before in history. Somebody gut shot with a .32 in 1909 had a far higher chance of dying than the same wound in 2009.

Big city police in those days mostly carried .32s, of one kind or another. And it took a few decades before the .38 replaced them in service, because over all, ......
 
Lots of people and police used to carry the 32 long It isn't best by today standered . Maybe they knew how to shoot and placed the bullet in a good spot. Engery is always the deciding factor Placement is
Military used to use 2x4 early 1900's and considered a bullet that went over a inch dangerous to humans
I some times carry my old 32 short Lemon squezer S&W It was made around 1915 and was a good pocket pistol back then When men were weaklings and didn't require a 500S&W to stop them. :D

Consequently, people (even the bad guys) would go to great lengths to avoid getting shot.
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Same thing today they don't want shot and don't want hospital for sure.
 
Luckily for the people who decide to carry the .32, humans are not made of dimensional lumber.
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Shoulda seen that one coming ;). I'm not saying that if all you have is a .32, don't carry it. I'm just saying that going through a 2x4 pretty much depletes all energy the round has. Sorry for not having the time, money, or energy to use ballistics gel :rolleyes:

Edit: BTW, I'm thinking about getting a kel tec p32. I wouldn't for a second be afraid to carry .32 acp, as I have seen sufficient proof that .32 acp is a "fair enough" SD round. It's miles better than .32 S&W
 
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First of all... read my signature.

My grandfather was a WWII vet from the 3rd Army, a police officer in my hometown for 10 years after the war, and drove a Miller delivery truck for 15 hours a day until he was 61. He concealed carried almost everywhere he went, especially doing the route salesman gig for Miller.

Of all things he carried, he carried a lowly FIE Titan .25 ACP the most. He had to draw it a handful of times in his career, and he always said the reaction was the same as when he pulled his service revolver. The guy coming at you isn't worried about what the gun is chambered in. He's worried about whether or not you are planning on pulling the trigger.
 
Welcome Hunley. I am reminded of an old story a friend tells me of his father's old snub .32 (IJ or H&R, I don't recall) he had in the glove box. Some one broke into his truck, stole all his 8 track tapes, took the gun out, took the ammo and left gun on the seat.
 
I'm just saying that going through a 2x4 pretty much depletes all energy the round has.
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Bah, I'm a lowly noob, but holy moly - isn't a BG a little less dense than a 2x4? :)

I would be willing to bet the round gets stuck farther in a human target than it would in wood - and that means that I still have a good chance of incapacitating a BG, especially if I hit a major organ/headshot. I'm sure someone has a ballistics report on the round for specifics, I could be wrong. I'm still learning!

Regardless, my hope is that they will not wait to ponder what caliber holes they are full of before they finally decide to leave my house. :D
 
.32 Long used to be quite popular in Bullseye shooters circles over here.
Some awesomely accurate pistols were (still are) chambered for it.

The used gun market used to be swamped with an enormous variety of .32 ACP semi-autos as well, from utter junk over neat to absolutely irresistable.

Either caliber might not be top choice for a number of tasks, but there's nothing intrinsically wrong with them IMO.
 
Well, here's my take on the subject.

Everyone agrees a big bullet works best, no matter how fast or slow it is going. Yet a small bullet will work and is definately lethal. The .380, the .38, and the .32s all work. But it may take some education of the part of the other person for them to accept the idea. For the less cultivated, the traditional approach may still be preferred. For the truly ignorant, something even larger may be necessary, or, alternatively, the sound of the gunshot may be enough to frighten away the assailant. Usually this only works with animals and not all of them.

But what do I know? I've never been shot (yet).
 
My wife and I got a nice little Colt Pocket Positive in 32 Long, a week or so ago. She wanted it because it was "cute." I suppose that's as good a term as any. Colt blue and mother of pearl grips.

I've thought about carrying it when I "don't want to carry a gun."
 
hmmm... I'd be curious as to how the 380, 25 acp, 22 LR, ect. performed in your 2 X 4 test...

I have a S&W J frame in 32 H&R mag, & aside from the lil NAA mini I have slipped in my pocket a few times, I consider that a minimum caliber for me... but I'd just about bet that if you got a 32 long revolver shoved in your belly by suprise, when you weren't carrying, you're giving the owner what ever he wants... a gun is still a gun when you are staring down the wrong end...
 
I bought a revolver in .32 s&w and am just waiting for my ffl to get back so I can pick it up.
I haven't even picked it up yet and am contemplating on buying a nagant pistol with a conversion cylinder for .32 acp.
 
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